1. |
That That
03:42
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I had a dream about her the other night-
The one with the unforgettable smile, and a body I recall was out of sight
See, she fancied me for whatever the reason,
And for whatever reason I never treated her right.
She could have done a lot better, man.
Honestly, I don't remember a single day with her when I saw bad weather
And she might've gave me mono - 'kay, she probably did
But my feather's didn't ruffle, and the pills helped a little bit-
Yo, anyway, the dream.
It contained a lot of photos that I think were never actually taken
Regardless, it rehashed so many memories I doubt that I could wrangle
Any given day when I was awake and damn were they good to see.
A bit unfortunate for me,
Considering dreams, yeah, they don't last long at all.
Well, at least the good ones don't.
At least my good ones don't, at least my good one's don't...
Know that, now I know that that
Now I know know that, now I know that that, now I..
I ain't dream about this one for days
And glad that's the case
For you see, we've been moving at a dismal pace
So much so, it doesn't even feel like a chase
But just two raisin cakes that are drifting in space
And I gotta tell ya,
Tagging along is lousy
When the one you want to tag has judgment so cloudy
And yet, I'm cool as a cucumber with it
Last time that we did it, I was given a time limit!
(And)
That don't do much for esteem that you don't really have,
I gotta face it:
I've wasted my fair share of minutes and patience
Only to touch base on an inconsistent basis.
She was never mine, but I don't know if she knew
I was hers, up until she went and banged another dude
Now, maybe she didn't want it to be
And that could be the case, I just wish somebody could've informed me...
This verse shouldn't be such a chore
For it's not like I haven't ever been here before
Though, whatever it's worth, I can't seem to recall it being a breeze
Or a piece of cake. 'Kay?
You see, that isn't me
And it won't be. Can't be, 'cause -
Well, it could be, but the likelihood is little to none.
Understand man, when it began I wanted to tap-dance
And now I'm draggin' my feet and resorting to jazz plants
Oh my, how the sands have shifted
In my hands, whether or not the plan had twisted
In a tangent attached to the wind that's drifted
Even further out of reach than what I could've expected
Composure is kept, just the herd is getting dense,
Making all of 'em much harder to hold.
I've heard a lot of things, but one morsel that I was never told
Is the apple of your eye will eventually mold.
And I find it kind of strange
That the writer and advice-giver are one in the same, but now I...
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2. |
Food For Thought
03:22
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Indentured servants in the Amazon are cutting down trees –
Dilapidating forest so they’ll get some money to eat
Because there’s no other means to get the presidents
It’s evident, though, they’ll walk away with less than an Abe a piece
Man, they’re slaving in the blistering heat
So if you’re complaining about your 8-hour shift, try 15
And that’s 7 days a week –
Illiterate adolescents and men doing all they can for pitiful ends
The men can’t read, either
Sleeping’s at a minimum
Just to wake and turn the page like Mr. Seger
Rise and grind the mind to resemble the stumps
That have ended up surrounding animals that have died due to
TIMBERRRRRR
Going on from spring to winter
Never heard of internet, never heard of spinners
Born into an environment that almost guarantees loss
Try’na rise above it all and be a winner
See, the liquor is the only escape
Diluting visions of their mental prisons, sticking to diligent land rape
And man, ain’t it somethin’, that in states over the sea
People drive SUV’s in suburbs with three TV’s
...and that’s only in the front seat
Smug-pumpin’ yuppie motherfucks ignore pleads on the streets
That’s a problem in itself, but instead of givin’ a bit
I bet the whips’ll be equipped with bass that really hits
Alas, priorities lay in material gain
We’re in need of a serious change before we’re inane
It appears you’re building a fort on the tracks of a train
The same one that carries dozens of immigrants everyday
Hey, they’re losing limbs and lives for a meager chance to strive
While value over here’s only with a tagged price
And to have ice is mad cool
- Pardon! -
I think it’s cold and all wrong like dyslexic tattoo artists
Hard isn’t weaponry, holdin’ for the hell of it
Hard is being yourself and speaking something relevant
Hard is the labor goin ‘ on as I am tellin’ this
And everything I’m telling is void of any embellishing
Pelicans are eating better than some of the residents
There ain’t a sec of hesitance
The lesson is – if you’re to get one out of this –
That citizens should
Take an eye off the money and put it into a book
That’s some Food For Thought.
I’m not alright, but I'll get by
Somehow
Any way that I can.
I gotta fend for myself any way that I can.
(Love, peace, joy, and harmony)
That is what I’m looking for, and what I’m trying to get
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3. |
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Dark days, dark nights, dark moods
Winter chill with the frozen foods
He takes time to contemplate and drink his booze -
We all know those relationship blues.
It's been a month since they slept together
And for the last couple of nights, he's been crashin' on the leather
Breakin' dishes at the end of his tether
And sheds tears at the photos when moments were better.
"Where we going?", the question's on his lips
Together for years, but now there's holes in the script
Battling depression, try'na gain a grip
Now the water's overflowing...does he abandon the ship or what?
He's the type with pride
Class's it a weakness if he's open and confides
To the woman he loves - he's never doubted that
And yet that pride in his side is a factor to why the love will die
Gets right by throwin' himself into work
He feels he needs to leave but hates to see his woman hurt
He's runnin out of options - all they do is fight
Not quite the life he envisioned when he met her that night, ya know?
It had to be done, the cases are by the door
Time to say goodbye, he can't take no more
But he can't bring himself to have a face to face confrontation
He knows he did nothin' wrong.
Did he leave?
Well listen to the rest of the song...
-----------------------
Bright days, bright nights and moods
Is what she was trying to get and all she wanted to pursue
Through a stroke of luck, things, they began to look up
Yup, out the blue she was glued to the eyes of a dude who
Didn't look at her like all the rest do
And he wasn't equipped with pickup lines flatter than empty Crest tubes
Normally shy, he approached and - so astute -
With his remote control, he glanced around the room, then pressed "Mute"
So he could really get to know her, and for her, well, this was new -
To converse with a guy that wasn't an emotional buffoon
She had had a couple drinks, but even so, the way she giggled
Was so fucking refreshing that it shook her up a little
It had heated up so quickly, she wasn't sure how to feel
But she simply couldn't deny the chemistry was unreal
It was genuine and earnest -
It was just what she had wanted, same for him, so it soon became an occurrence.
Now, prior to this engagement, she
Had a fella' that would argue with her non-stop until they fell asleep
When they first got together, he would never chastise
But it didn't take long for that ship to capsize
He'd been drinking, thinking his thoughts and actions were no different
They were so different though, that it caused her to grow distant
So she called it off some time ago, despite all she invested
And yet, it appears that he left another message...
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4. |
Just So You Know Part 2
03:02
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It's like hello, and it's like hey like,
"Hey, wait a minute, wait a sec.."
I didn't think there was gonna be a part two
But you've left an indelible mark, and that's hard to argue
It is hard to claw through, and it's hard to part with
On a Thursday afternoon, leg crossed on a park bench
A pen is in the hand, straight scribblin' nonsense
'til the words make rhymes and I'm back on the offense
And, lady, you are in for a rare treat -
I've removed my cleats from the tops of your bare feet
With skin torn and peeled, I am but a coarse heel,
Humbled at the notion of the well-guarded force-field
That I managed to slip by a couple of times
When there were high hopes the smiles would last longer
But I've come to realize,
Trust is one of those things making the guards of the force-field stand a little stronger..
And now see, what really bends my strings
Is that we're both apart of this social networking thing,
In where a simple sentence gets the other party hot
'Cause a few too many cooks can spoil a good pot
Well, that's what I've gathered, at least -
Aside from certain things you've written that are glaringly obvious to me:
I know that I'm the roots wrapped around your slender frame
That you want to cut cathartically as soon as can be
But look, I'm try'na beat a dead horse deader
With a faulty antenna that don't get high-def.
I digress, to do what I think I do best
'Cause I've already lost a great deal of self-respect
I'm a worn-out welcome, and I know I can't stay
But I'll still pay if we go to breakfast today
Besides that, I don't know what else to say
Except I'm sorry that I ever even got in your way.
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5. |
What I Do
04:18
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A bit down too much for his skill set
He's ill
Even though he feels he ain't killed yet
And still
After scribbling an opening line,
He'll go ahead and revise it about 5 or 6 times.
'Cause it's gotta be exactly what he heard in his head -
If it isn't? No scribbling for weeks on end.
Now sometimes, he gets so deep in his thoughts
He gets lost, so he needs to breathe deep and pause
Before he jumps ship into frozen terrain.
He'll dial up the seldom people that remember his name
Reading over what he scribbled earlier that day
In the hopes they understand what he was trying to say.
Regardless the average thoughts that he thinks of his words,
He's told - in all honesty - it's the dopest they've heard.
He tends to ask, "Really?", and they all say, "Yes"
Then they ask him what he calls it, and he usually says..
(This is Hip Hop)
This is what I do
I said, this is what I do
It's much bigger than me
It's much bigger than you
But the truth is
A lot of sad suckers, they just don't got a clue...
Time to get prepared for the gig -
He thinks about just what he wants to kick
Starts with this acapella that he spits so quick
So they know off the bat he don't sound like shit!
See, he knows how fast the folks can lose interest
Going from blissful to listless
He's wise to keep that abreast, and yet, he don't get nervous
Hell, the nerve-wracking part is just writing all the verses!
This is an exercise
In the expression of what's on his mind through rhyme and
He's not too concerned if it flies with ease
Personal validation's the main kind that he needs
He puts on a 3-piece suit and tie
Which he's finding kind of funny, he's just not sure why
Jumps on a stage half a foot off the floor
And soon recites what he wrote the night before...
(ch)
Set finishes - they keep clappin'
Gathers up his things and some give dap, but
He barely makes time to acknowledge it -
Grateful, yes, he's just never been good at taking compliments.
Being polite though, he thanks 'em greatly
'Cause they're saying everything he needed to hear lately
And it's one thing to have it coming from your friends
But another from someone you might never see again.
Putting it like that, the night was successful
Got the people to dig it on a whole level that they never knew -
Evolution of his style will keep his chin up more than any generated revenue
Could do or, did or,
Any way you mix and match it:
It's raw energy exerted in the midst of madness
Merely a fractional collection of bits and fragments
That always rotate so the flow is never stagnant.
Before long, in rolls a new days dawn
Like, "Hello!"
He greets it with headphones on
This fellow is aware that,
Even though they said it was the dopest they had heard, he cannot stop there
So,
A new beat wakes him up quicker than quick
And the song won't change 'til something gets writ
He pulls out the notebook, pulls out the pen
And begins this arduous adventure again...
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